Pointing a GoDaddy domain at a new website
To point a GoDaddy domain at a new website, you keep the domain at GoDaddy and edit two records on its DNS page: the A record named "@" and the "www" record. Leave the email records exactly as they are. If GoDaddy is also forwarding the domain somewhere, or a GoDaddy website is still attached to it, switch those off too, or they will keep winning.
Before you open GoDaddy
Have three things ready:
- The values from your new website provider. Usually an IP address for the A record and a name for the www CNAME. Copy them into a note so you can paste rather than type.
- Your GoDaddy login, and access to the phone or email for its two-step check.
- Ten quiet minutes and a way to take screenshots.
Also confirm GoDaddy actually holds your DNS. Look up the domain on ICANN's lookup tool: if the nameservers contain "domaincontrol.com", it does. If they name another company, make the change there instead; edits at GoDaddy will do nothing.
Finding the DNS page
Sign in at GoDaddy, open your Domain Portfolio (from the account menu, or "My Products" then "Domains"), click the domain, then open the DNS tab. On some screens the link reads "Manage DNS". You should see a table of records with columns for type, name, data and TTL.
Take a screenshot of the whole table before you change anything, scrolling to catch every row.
What GoDaddy puts there, and what each line is
A typical GoDaddy domain has rows like these. Yours may have more or fewer.
- A, name @, data "Parked" or an IP number. This is the website line for the bare domain. "Parked" means it shows GoDaddy's parking page. This is one you will change.
- CNAME, name www, data @ or a GoDaddy address. The website line for www. You will change this too.
- MX records, often pointing at something ending in "outlook.com" (Microsoft 365) or "secureserver.net" (GoDaddy's mail), or at Google. Leave these.
- TXT records, such as "v=spf1 ..." or verification codes from Microsoft or Google. Leave these.
- CNAME records named autodiscover, email, lyncdiscover, sip, msoid or similar. These belong to Microsoft 365 or GoDaddy email. Leave these.
- CNAME named _domainconnect. GoDaddy's own helper for one-click setups. Harmless; leave it.
- NS and SOA records. Technical records that GoDaddy manages. Do not touch.
If you are not sure what a row is, leave it. Website lines are almost always the "@" A record and the "www" record.
Making the change
- Edit the A record named @. Click the pencil (or the row's edit option), replace the data with the IP address from your new provider, keep TTL at the default, and save.
- Remove any second A record for @. If there are two, the internet alternates between them and half your visitors may see the old site.
- Edit the www record. If your provider gave you a CNAME target, put it in the data field and save. If your provider wants www to be an A record instead, delete the CNAME and add an A record with the same IP.
- Delete AAAA records for @ or www if your new provider did not ask for one.
- Check the table again against your note. Values pasted, no extra rows.
Switch off GoDaddy forwarding
GoDaddy has a separate Forwarding setting for domains, on the domain's settings page rather than in the DNS table. If it is turned on, it sends visitors somewhere else regardless of your records. Open the domain's settings, look for the forwarding section and remove any forward for the domain and for subdomains you are changing. Only keep it if your new provider told you to use forwarding, which is rare.
If the old site was built on GoDaddy
If your current website is on GoDaddy's Website Builder (also sold as Websites + Marketing or Airo), the builder is linked to the domain. Two things can happen when you change the records: the builder shows a warning that your domain is "not connected", or, if you click "fix" or "reconnect" there, it puts its own records back and undoes your work.
Once the new site works, unpublish or cancel the GoDaddy site so the two stop competing. Do it after you have checked the new site, not before, so customers never see a blank page. Keep a copy of any text or photos from the builder first. When it's time to move on from GoDaddy's builder covers what to save.
GoDaddy-specific snags
- "Record data is invalid" when adding www. Usually a www record already exists. Edit the existing one rather than adding a second.
- A pop-up offering to connect automatically. Some website providers use GoDaddy's Domain Connect to set records for you after you approve. It is safe when it is the provider you chose, but read the list of changes. If it says it will change MX records, stop: that would move your email.
- Changes made, but the old site still shows. Check the forwarding section, check for leftover A or AAAA records, and test from your phone with Wi-Fi off.
- "Not secure" warning for the first hour. The new provider is still creating your security certificate. It usually clears without you doing anything.
Checking it worked
- On your phone, Wi-Fi off, open both "yourbusiness.com" and "www.yourbusiness.com".
- Look for the padlock in the address bar.
- Send an email to your business address from a personal account, then reply from your business address. If you use Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy, check the Outlook app too.
- Submit the contact form on the new site.
If email misbehaves, compare the MX and TXT rows with your screenshot first. Keeping your email working during a website change has the full list of what to look at.
We keep a picture-by-picture page for connecting a GoDaddy domain, and if you later decide to leave GoDaddy altogether, moving a domain away from GoDaddy covers the transfer.
Your ten-minute list
- Confirm the nameservers are GoDaddy's.
- Screenshot the DNS table.
- Edit the @ A record and the www record; remove extras.
- Turn off forwarding.
- Test on your phone and test email both ways.
- Retire the old GoDaddy site only after the new one works.
If you do not have the new site yet, you can see your site rebuilt first and come back to these ten minutes when it is ready.